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So wonderful to see this group of American Avocets at the wetlands this morning! They are a bit hard to see, but there are also some Wilson’s Phalarope in the mix. It was a cold, wet, windy morning, so the pelicans were hanging out pretty close together. I also saw my first sora of the season. I have been hearing them, but this was the first good look. Click on pictures to enlarge.

It is that time of year again when I have trouble staying at my desk and getting my work done. The number of migrants at the Wakarusa Wetlands has been astounding. And, of course, the year-round residents like the deer and bald eagles are always a pleasure to see. Click on pictures to enlarge.

I did not get to the Wakarusa Wetlands much over the summer, but now that we are heading into fall, I plan to do something about that whenever I can. I took a couple of hours off yesterday to see if what I had been hearing about great numbers of pelicans was true. While a road grater scared many of them away right after I got there, a few remained. It is great to see them in this relatively new space (part of the mitigation for the SLT). While I in no way can speak to the anger and betrayal felt by so many regarding this sacred space, I am choosing to focus on making peace with my relationship with this place that has meant so much to me. I hope it will continue to be a place of relative safety for the beings who live there, and I hope that migrants continue to find it a restful and nourishing spot in the fall and spring. It was wonderful to see thousands of gulls coming through high overhead and the blackbirds were dining on sunflower seeds. A few cormorants were hanging out in a tree, kingfishers patrolled, and grebes dived. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Every winter, as long as there is open water, there are a few pelicans who stay around. I don’t know how they do it. I am not sure how they managed the polar vortex. I am in awe of their pelicanness. Click on pictures to enlarge.

It was a lovely morning at the lake. Many migrants are still coming through. There are still thousands of gulls. I imagine the egrets are getting ready to leave to for the season. Everywhere we went there were pelicans. The young bald eagle was a nice surprise. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Fall migration is wonderful! The cormorants were coming in all morning and there are thousands of gulls here. I watched hundreds of swallows swooping over the grass and water. I think they will be leaving soon. A very nice morning!

The last stop was a bald eagles’ nest where some brooding is going on. We visited last week and both parents were feeding. The eaglets are too small to see from the road right now. Can’t wait to watch them growing up!

There has been a lone pelican hanging out at the Wakarusa Wetlands recently. I hope he is okay. I’m guessing he is a young one who was blown off course during one of the many recent storms and is resting here for a while. I wish him the best on the rest of his journey. Click on pictures to enlarge.

I saw eight American white pelicans at Clinton on Saturday. I hope they have moved through or have a safe place to get through this storm. They are in my thoughts tonight. Click on pictures to enlarge.